Today I’m adding another dish to my stable of Greek recipes. Braised okra or “bamies” as we say in Greek (pronounced bum-yes) is a wonderful, tasty vegetarian dish. Truth be told, I was never a fan of okra. Especially, whilst growing up. I know it seems like I keep on repeating myself about particular foods, but I learnt to appreciate it more in my later years. I had tried it in an “authentic” gumbo in the United States-thought it wasn’t so bad and decided to give the Greek version another go.
This is a very simple dish to prepare requiring a few ingredients. It belongs to the “ladera” (pronounced la-the-ra) family of dishes which translates as dishes cooked in an olive oil based sauce (the Greek word for oil is “lathi”). These dishes are almost always vegetarian and usually include garlic and tomatoes. They are so tasty and the sauce that is created is perfect for mopping up with plenty of crusty bread. There is something really magical about using olive oil to braise vegetables in this manner. I also love green beans prepared this way and will be featuring that recipe in the coming winter months. Braised okra is also Lent friendly and suitable for those who are fasting during the lead up to Easter.
- 500 grams of fresh okra
- 2 tbsps of red wine vinegar
- 1/2 a cup of olive oil
- 1 onion finely chopped
- 500 grams of fresh pureed tomatoes or a can of pureed tomatoes
- a handful of chopped, fresh, flat leaf parsley
- salt and pepper to taste
- Wash the okra and proceed to trim the pointy ends off.
- Sprinkle with red wine vinegar and let them stand for one hour in a bowl. (once the hour has passed rinse them in cold water and drain)
- Heat the oil in a heavy bottomed sauce pan and saute the onion over a low heat until it softens.
- Add the okra and toss in the olive oil/onion mixture for about 5 mins.
- Add the tomatoes, parsley and season to taste.
- Bring the mixture to a boil on med/high heat and then allow to simmer for approximately 20-30 mins on a low/med heat.
- Once the okra is tender serve immediately with crusty bread.
Hi! I'm Peter. Welcome to Souvlaki For The Soul. My "little" space on the web. My blog is choc full of recipes, travel stories and photos. Have a good look around and enjoy your time here. Cheers!
love the opening shot. i haven’t had braised okra before but looks lovely.
Thanks Simon!
I was the pickiest eater on the planet when I was very young but also if my mom didn’t eat it neither did we. I learned to love certain foods when I started cooking for friends. I only recently learned to love mushrooms and blue cheese so okra needs their shot too.
Well said Val!
I love the simplicty of ingredients and method for this dish. I’m not a huge fan of okra when it gets all gelatinous and sticky but this braised version looks pretty tasty. I like the artful trail of bread crumbs from your oh-so-casually torn sourdough too
Yep…one of my favourites. They work equally well baked in the oven. Excellent photography n this one Peter.
Love bamies and yes, lots of bread and feta to go with it.
Aman!!! is there any other way to eat them. Feta and lots of it and fresh horiatiko bread. On a recent trip to my father’s village I followed my cousin when she announced she was going to pick some bamies for lunch. I had never seen a bamia plant/bush. They were the best I have ever tasted straight from her baktse.
By the way whenever bamies are on the menu we have been known to say “there’s bums for lunch/dinner”. Sorry I just had to share that with you all.
Love okra, your recipe looks so simple and the end result is simply divine. if you let a malaysian have a handful of those okra, we will start chuckling in a lots of thing, sambal, chilli, you name it! LOL
I wasn’t a big fan of okra before but now I am. Hope to try this simple and delicious recipe of yours.
Yum, I love anything braised in olive oil. Like a good southern (American) gal we usually eat okra dusted with cormeal and fried but this looks like a great recipe to try. Thanks Peter!
Peter … I love okra and this simple preparation seems a wonderful addition to a plate of grilled chicken or lamb. I think I would like a couple pieces of shaved cheese (maybe a Manchego or Asagio to accompany) with the bread and okra… a really delicious-looking post. The colors in the photos are so vibrant and gorgeous… excellent job!
Thanks Susan!
I’ve only had okra once and I liked it. I should give it more space in my kitchen. This recipe might be the inspiration.
There you go cussing at us again, this time with bum-yes! lol This is one of my favourite dishes, with or without meat. It’s filling, healthy and it demands bread on the side. Thanks for the dish!
That is something I never made, but I know I’d love that dish!
Cheers,
Rosa
ive only tried okra for the first time last summer & just ate it raw…the gooeyness caught me offguard! im happy to see a new way to make them and since im craving summer tomatoes like crazy i cant wait to give this a go when they show up!
I’m also in the category of never tried okra and have always been very curious. Someone once told me they’re slimy so that was enough for me. If you say they’re good, I’ll try them.
I know okra is much maligned for its “slimey” texture, but I think it’s positively fantastic. This simple recipe makes best use of all of its assets… though I must confess that I think the best part is the sauce. It’s just begging to be sopped up with a bit of crusty bread!
Lovely stuff. Okra is a favorite of mine, but I have never had it braised. Great photography as usual. Love your plates here. Jealous.
Thank you for the recipe. Looks delicious. We had an abundance of okra in the garden this year and hadn’t found a recipe that the family liked. We’ll try this next year.
First time I hear and see okra, Peter. Never seen it at the market before. That sauce is shouting for more bread! I could eat half a baguette here ;D
You know, I’ve never had okra before, but that picture is telling me I have to try it soon, be adventurous! LOL
I’ve only had fried okra here in the south; but you offer a much sounder choice. (I love the word “whilst” that you Australians use frequently. We don’t use that word here, but I may start.
The truth is I never learned to appreciate okra – I’ve always thought it too bitter and slimy – that is – until I read THIS post. I don’t know how you do it Peter, you make me actually want to give it a second shot! Only you I think can make okra finally look appetizing! Now – that’s talent!
I tried Okra years ago but found the slimy sensation off putting.
Are those Ikea plates? I have some of them and find then great for dishes with a lot of sauce like this.
Yes Barb..IKEA is very handy!
I love okra. And it pairs best with tomatoes! Once I get my hands on some, I will be trying this recipes out.
Okra is much maligned and I’m afraid I’m one of the maligners. On my FoodBuzz profile there was a question asking “cringe-inducing food” and I answered ‘okra.’ The truth is I’ve really not had much experience with it but I’d try it if you made it for me.
Joan, I know exactly what you mean…it took me ages to like it. Cooking it this way makes it easier to enjoy it.
Wow. Okra is one vegetable that I’ve never tried to work with personally and it can be so hit and miss. Until recently I’ve always found it gummy and slimy, but had it stewed with cinnamon and tomato in Vietnam and it changes my perception of it entirely. I’ll have to give this a shot!
I have to admit to being intimidated by okra, too. I had a nasty brush with it many years ago that still lingers in my mind. However, this recipe makes me think that I could give it another go!
Love the simplicity of this okra dish. Glad to have found a new way to prepare okra. Thanks for sharing.
I LOVE okra and eat it weekly! I make a similar dish – okra in tomato-onion sauce.
Your dish make me salivate!
As a kid I wasn’t the biggest fan of bamies either but now I think they’re swell! The kiddies are okay with eating them too–not too many, just a few at a time, but I make them eat them much too to keep them open to the idea.
You’ve prepared them beautifully here. I’ve only ever had them the “Greek” way. I unfortunately have never tried them in Gumbo … really need to soon though!
WOW! What an interesting take on the okra. I’ve always had it prepared one way when I was growing up and that was simply in the Vietnamese sweet and sour soup (Canh Cua). I love the slimy sensation of it and how the seeds kinda pop in your mouth
This is such a simple yet wonderful-looking dish. YUMMY!
Oh, we love green beans cooked “ladera”-style! Will have to try with okra, if we see them around.
I love okra and this is a great way to have them, thanks for sharing your recipe!
These look really great. I am not sure that I have ever eaten okra but I have seen them at the greengrocer. The sauce looks really good, I think it could eat it on its own.
Bamies, feta, a good bread and a glass of retsina or other homemade wine… goes fine with me! Very well executed… I love bamies!
This is one of my absolute favourite vegetables like ever. I would ask for okra (but with chicken) every time I would return from England! I always use lemon juice, but i guess vinegar will do just fine.
I am coming here for quiet sometime but only now commenting. These okras look lovely and with a crust bread it should have tasted great. We in India usually cut off the tail and the head portion. They say its not edible. In turn you can make the sautes onion and sauted tomatoes as a stuffing inside the slit okra and pan fry them. Thy will turn wonderfully crisp and chewy too! ou can again play with the stuffing with endless options.
I love okra, is one of the tastier vegetables that I know. Your recipe is simple delicious, and the photos are mouthwatering and beautiful as usual
I love Okra. There is a filipino dish called Sinigang and Okra is one of the vegies used. I always finish all of the Okra. this is a fantastic way of preparing it. Thanks for sharing this dish with us Peter.
Great to have a simple way to prepare a vegetable that I don’t often even think about. This sounds excellent. Like the top photo a lot!
We make it the same way! I love love love okra! I use lemon juice instead of the red wine vinegar! Delicious!
Love okra and love it in that dish, I grew up with it – very yummy. Love the first shot – gorgeous!
Okra! I love hearing old southern folks talk about getting the “okree rash” from picking it. I only like it fried (cornmeal-dusted) or pickled, but I bet I’d like it if you cooked it for me.
Bamies are my absolute favorite of the standard Greek braised veggies. It’s tough for me to find fresh okra here, though – I guess not too many people in Chicago are fans.
You are making me want to go on the hunt for some soon, though. Yum!
And that’s all it is? That simple to be that good? Amazing. Love them when they are fresh. This recipe is getting earmarked for that season here.
Valerie
I adore this Peter! I’ve never tried braised okra so I def have to try this. It reminds me of the Lebanese dish “loobiyah” which is green beans braised in tomato sauce.
Very simple way to prepare okra. Us Indians usually drowse it with spices and kill it … lol
This is lovely.
This looks lovely! I have only eaten Okra occassionally when in other countries; it is not a vegetable that is used a lot here, although I think I should be able to find it in stores that sell more exotic ingredients. It definitely looks worth a try!
I love okra! Although I have never cooked with it myself. My mother puts it in a Vietnamese Sour Soup. It matches perfectly. I love the crunch and and gooeiness.
Okra is such an under appreciated veggies and yet it’s present in most of the world’s cuisines. This preparation looks delicious and I’m looking forward to these little green fingers showing up at the markets.
I love seeing okro (what we call it in Nigeria) cooked differently than what I’m used to! One way we cook it in Nigeria is to simmer the okro with a stockcube and water and then serve it with a tomato sauce (which we fry and call stew!)
What a timely post! I am learning how to cook with okra right now, after having it a few times at my friend’s house and enjoying it immensely. I’ve only put it in with vege curries since first buying it last week, so will enjoy trying out this recipe, thanks
What does the red vinegar make on the okra?
Here in Mauritius, they are cooked in saffron (dry sauce) or in coconut milk sauce (+ tomatoes+ cumin) or in salad with vinaigrette (just boiled whole). Thanks for your recipes and beautiful photos, just discovered.
If you happen to be in Greece, get them fresh-frozen in 500gr or 1kg bags from any supermarket. “Barba-Stathis” is a good brand but virtually any brand is good too. Whilst (what a nice word indeed!) they are not fresh off the vine, they very close in taste and much easier to cook as you don’t have to go through the washing and trimming and dipping in vinegar (which is a process I remember my grandma and mother going through at least once or twice a month when I was a kid in Athens – by the way, the dipping into vinegar is what takes away much of the slimy factor).
This recipe, by the way, is more or less how all ladera are made; substitute green beans for example and adjust the cooking time a bit and there you go: you have “fasolakia”
Hint: sometimes you might feel you are running out of juice when all kinds of greens are being cooked this way. Don’t be afraid to add a quarter or half a glass of water – the food will drink it up as they say, or you’ll have a little bit more sauce (“saltsa”) to dip your bread in which, for many, is the raison d’etre of the dish!.
In the UK, the name bamies or okra is not well known; you will find them there as “lady fingers”
Finally, it really “bam-yes” rather than “bum-yes”, with the “a” pronounced as in “apple”. Of course, for people who dislike okra with a vengeance, like my wife, the “bum” version is closer to the truth
Happy saltsa dipping!
i tried this recipe but with more vegetables . yummy
Comments on this entry are closed.
{ 3 trackbacks }